Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-09
THAT WRECK.
Graphic Description Of this Missouri Pa
cifc Upset.

Graphic Description Of tbs Missouri Pa
cifc Upset.
To the Editot OF the Gazette.
a. few minutes before 8 O'Clock Oh
Sunday night, March 6, entered the
north-bound train on the International
and Great Northern Railroad at Austin,
having procureda ticket for Fort Worth
as well as berth in the Pullman sleeper
tAftsSheG said train. was assigned to
! lower 6e7tS Nc. 10, that being on the left
hand side at the rear end OF the sleeper.
My father-in-!aw, Mr.. j. q Sandidge:
who accompanied me, was assigned to
/ lower berth No. s, tnat being
J in front Of and adjoining the
one occupied by myself. An elderly
lady, apparently in very feeble health
! who was travelling without an escort was
in lower berth No. 9, which was Just
across the isle from that which l occu-
pied. There was one other lady in the
sleeper VINO, with her husband, occupied
q berth on the right hand side near the
middle OF the car. There we're eleven
I passengers il the sleeper, all the lower
DeTths being occupied gentleman was
in the berth over me. Most OF the pas
sengers retired to bed at an early hour.
myself sat up until after our car
was attached TO the Missouri Pacific train
at TAYLOR. | was the last passenger up:
il was near - O'Clock when | lay down.
The train was then, think, on time. l
wss aroused by the noise at the Waco de-
pot when we stopped at that point and
rIised the curtain TO the window nearest
my head, my head being towards the rear
cad OF the car and my feet pointing in the
!; IN oh frg
Soon after leaving Waco l fell asleep.
jAfar sleeping, l could not tell
Ih6y long, ewoke, thinking
tthas it must be near day. then
4pulei down and fastened the window
4 curtain which had raised, in order to
? keen out the approaching light of day,
and then closed my eyes in the effort to
again fall asleep, noticing at the time
that the lamps in the car were still burn
ing. In q few minutes and before l
again got to sleep there was violent
Jerk as Of a sudden reduction in the speed
of the locomotive. This was followed by
violent jolting, which fortunately extin-
gEshed ell the lights in The car. The
next instant my bed, rising on
the right hand, assumed q
vertical position and / was violent J
thrown upon my face against the left
hand side of the car, which had now as
sumed g horizontal position, and became
aware that the car was on its side and
sliding rapidly down an inclined plane.
J By this time the car had so far turned
over that was lying With my right side
against what had been the ceiling, so to
speak, of my berth with my face to the
side CT the car ust above the tops OF
the windows. l was covered by
tie mattress upon which
had been lying; there YVES 9
sound as of falling chairs and tables and
timbeIs coming down upon me. Ny first
thought was of fire: then | reCOllected
that the lights had gone cut before oul
slide commenced. Next there was the
. gurghng noise OF water rushing through
ar aperture, ami for en- instant l felt
certain that we we're oil consigned to s
watery grave, and that not one would be
left to tell the tale. The speedy cessa
r ton Of this noise however demonstrated
= the fact that it proceeded from
l an up-turUed water tank il
Z the car The occurrences here related
: would not have occupied more than few
seconds, but they seemed like long lif9
. time to those of US who were at the bot
y tom of the wrecked car. The next voice
5 which greeted my ears was that OF te
male voice begging to be released from
fragments of the dismantled car which
E had fal en- over her. and between some o.
which her limbs were caught. This was
= the voice Of the sick lady, who had occu
pied the berth opposite mine. This lady
together with the fixtures belonging to hel
berth, and the gentleman occupying the
} berth above mine were on my overturned
mattress. which held me in my little
prison. By desperate effort l succeeded
IN efecting q small opening above me
z4nesr my head, through which my body
was rapidly drawn. Absolute darkness
still reigned. Learning that my father
iG-:aw was unhurt, and having relieved
ll the sick lady of the weight which was
% pres sing upon her, | clambercd through
M tie darkness to the nearest windO i
9. abuve, and was soon standing upon an
tuciEed plane formed by the right
y De # the car. 4 light mist was
Pc q Ling. col wind blowing, and it was
e dark as z @eU'd be. By the dim light
It Of . lau,ugv III -. hands Of one of the
y. Train men, -i,cust5ed that our sleeper
is was lying upon III l,it side near the
y bottom OF high entertainment, almos!
e resting on ite ton with wheels in the air:
Z
$, and he smoking car, eacn fat on its
- sides ct the bottom Of the cmpaokment;
: next beyond III. Sc. was thu
Baggage car standing disgonally across
1 the embarrassment, its wheels deeply en-
beddeG IN the mud. A few car lengths
\ ahead on 8 trestle stood the engine, its
rear twisted to the right with the tender
apparently Overhanging the SIDE Of the
3. trestie. Having satisfied myself that We
were resting on solid foundation, that
:. there was no danger Of any furthe: roll
s ting or sliding, and that there was nc
' danger of IRE 1 hastily and with SILVER
ing limbs let myself down into the dark
ness from which ! bad come, ard sci
3 myself with diligence to the
work of rescue and recovery. Aftel
:, making the sick lady as comfort
able as possible under the circumstances
and again assuring myself that no one ii
> my reach was injured, began the search
J for my habiliments, all OF which were
after a time recovered and applied &c
: their respective uses. Our attentive and
obliging porter was one of the first to ex
trieste himself from the ruin, and he soon
= procured the use of lantern, which very
1 orr oil o. ho ~, -,